Manuel Pellegrini maintained this afternoon that he does not feel under
pressure at Manchester City, claiming that his future will not hinge on
whether he leads the team to a trophy this season.
City will review their manager’s position at the end of the season, as has
been standard practice under the Abu Dhabi regime, amid growing murmurs of
unrest in the club’s hierarchy after a run of two wins in nine matches in
all competitions.
With his team out of both domestic cup competitions, 2-1 down after the first
leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Barcelona and five
points behind Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premier League, having
played one game more, Pellegrini has come in for growing criticism in recent
weeks.
The City hierarchy, both in Manchester and in Abu Dhabi, are committed to a
long-term building job, but, as was shown when they sacked Roberto Mancini
in May 2013, they are intolerant of the type of regression that has again
appeared to follow a Premier League title triumph. Pellegrini was reminded
today of the statement by Ferran Soriano, the chief executive, that City
must win five trophies in five seasons, but he insisted that his future is
not in jeopardy.
Speaking at the club’s training ground next to the Etihad Stadium this
lunchtime, before tomorrow’s Premier League match at home to Leicester City,
Pellegrini said: “I don’t feel any pressure, especially from the media. I
only fe

Dave Whelan has resigned as chairman of Wigan Athletic and been replaced by
his 23-year-old grandson. The 78-year-old, who bought the Sky Bet
Championship club 20 years ago, has had a difficult few months there, having
been fined and given a six-week ban last year after being recorded making
controversial remarks about Jewish and Chinese people.
The former footballer will remain as Wigan owner, but no longer have a
hands-on role. His grandson, David Sharpe, was appointed as a director of
the club only in December and will be assisted by Jonathan Jackson, the
chief executive.
“The time has now come to hand over the reins,” Whelan said. “I am approaching
80 years old and spend an increasingly long time abroad, and cannot make it
to games. It is a decision I have been mulling over for some years and I
believe David is now ready.”
Wigan went from streng

Fernando Alonso, the most expensive signing in the history of Britain’s top
Formula One team, will be forced to sit out the season-opening grand prix
for fear that a crash could end his career.
McLaren admitted yesterday what many had increasingly believed: that the
two-times world champion will not drive at the Australian Grand Prix, the
first race of the new season, a week on Sunday.
The Spaniard’s crash sideways into a wall at low speed 11 days ago had seemed
no more than a minor prang, an innocuous incident, described even by McLaren
as a “normal testing accident”.
Yet he was airlifted to hospital and suffered a concussion grave enough for
doctors keep him in hospital in Barcelona for three days. Despite entreaties
that all is well with his health, Alonso will not drive on the streets of
Melbourne.
The immediate reaction on social media was that Alo